speaker docks that work best at lower volumes in bedroom ?

[ZENERGY]

hi, my lovely old nad amp has given up working. i am now looking for a speaker dock that works well at low volumes as will be used in the bedroom with more chilled ambient music. room is only 10 feet by 11 feet . speaker will be placed on solid oak chest of drawers. i am looking for best warm engaing sound rather than conectivity. i have an ipod touch. i guess lying down isnt the best position to get the most out of the speaker/s and ceiling speakers is not an option . budget up £500 but do i need to spen this much for something in such a small space ? i like the zeppelin and nad viso sound , what is the philips soundsphere like ? any ideas ? many thanks in advance

ps .. i do have some spare dali zensor speakers redundant now so could just get a little box like the denon ceol for them .

 

[TrevC]

Have you thought of the Bose Soundlink Mini? I have one. It is tiny, and has the advantage that you can take it anywhere, though (unbelievably) there is slightly too much bass at times. It will fill your room with ease. You can always reduce the bass using an equalizer, which is what I do.

 

[davedotco]

What is your source? Can you access the digital out with an appropriate lead/dock?

All in ones can sound ok but I prefer the flexibility of separate speakers, for less than £200 you can get a basic dock or caple feeding a pair of Audio Engine A2 powered speakers, a big 'warm' sound just as you asked, if you prefer use it with the D1 dac for extra flexibility.

At the other end of the scale a Cambridge ID100 dock feeding a pair of Kef X300 will give you a taste of real hi-fi.

Be aware that many of the wired dock solutions are being phased out and replaced with wireless options, it depends on what options you have on your device.

Something like the Q Acoustics BT3 will give you direct Bluetooth connection, simple wired inputs or a Toslink for an AEX should you want to go that route. You also have the latest Epz actimate speakers with built in dock. Tons of options.

 

[skippy]

You could get a pair of Mackie MR 5 or 6, a 3.5mm to stereo RCA.

Nice, self contained and adjustable set up

 

[davedotco]

You could get a pair of Mackie MR 5 or 6, a 3.5mm to stereo RCA.

Nice, self contained and adjustable set up

If you want to go down that route then there are dozens of small active monitors that you can try.

If you are Apple based, just add an AEX. If not there are Bluetooth or wired options.

Try a dock with a digital out, Pure I20 or Cambridge ID100 and a pair of Monkey Banana Turbo 5s

€400 pair with digital inputs on RCA spdif.

So many options if you step outside the mainstream.

 

[Al ears]

Is it just me or do these look nothing like a dock?? :shame:

...and the source is an iPod Touch.

You're going to scare the OP away you know, he's specifically asking about a dock it would seem.

 

[pauln]

A year or so ago I borrowed one of these http://www.whathifi.com/review/bose-sounddock-ii for a couple of weeks to use in a hotel room, I thought it sounded really good, especially at low volume - it was a hotel room after all. I had my laptop connected to it rather than an iphone but still the same speaker so...

Hopefully you don't have Boserphobia, I did, until I heard one and thought, actually, this sounds pretty good. Even What hifi gave it 5 stars.

 

[davedotco]

Is it just me or do these look nothing like a dock?? :shame:

...and the source is an iPod Touch.

You're going to scare the OP away you know, he's specifically asking about a dock it would seem.

To my mind, this is a 'dock'.

Just add a pair of active or powered speakers with a spdif input.

Easy peasy and not that expensive.

 

[ZENERGY]

thanks for the ideas, lots to think about :>) , i have the an ipod touch and an old faithful sony mp3 player. i like the idea of separate speakers , maybe can demo some though choice is limited living in suffolk. i heard the b&w a5 earlier which sounded very nice but for the price i could get a dock another amp and run my dali zensors ..... however my wife prefers the idea single box :>)

thanks again ,just going to look up some of the ideas mentioned. i know bose can be great but to my ears i not so engaging and emotional .

 

[davedotco]

thanks for the ideas, lots to think about :>) , i have the an ipod touch and an old faithful sony mp3 player. i like the idea of separate speakers , maybe can demo some though choice is limited living in suffolk. i heard the b&w a5 earlier which sounded very nice but for the price i could get a dock another amp and run my dali zensors ..... however my wife prefers the idea single box :>)

thanks again ,just going to look up some of the ideas mentioned. i know bose can be great but to my ears i not so engaging and emotional .

If you can run an AEX on your network then a small pair of active/powered speakers is all you need. You can lose the AEX in a cupboard or something and just have a pair of small speakers on show. Pretty mich any size, finish or price you like.

To my mind a system of this kind is far more fun than any all in one docking solution. My own desktop system is exactly this, AEX in to a very cheap pair of Studiospares/Seiwin active monitors on Audio Engine desktop stands. About £200 all in, though the speakers have risen in price a bit since I got mine, £230 should more than cover it at todays prices.

Spend a little more on speakers for a better performance or a nicer finish, there are loads of options, make it as simple or as sophisticated as you wish.

 

[Al ears]

Is it just me or do these look nothing like a dock?? :shame:

...and the source is an iPod Touch.

You're going to scare the OP away you know, he's specifically asking about a dock it would seem.

To my mind, this is a 'dock'.

Just add a pair of active or powered speakers with a spdif input.

Easy peasy and not that expensive.

To my mind they are too, however he was referring to 'speaker' docks (NAD Visio / Zeppelin) i.e. an all-in-one setup.

He now appears to have changed his mind....

 

[davedotco]

Is it just me or do these look nothing like a dock?? :shame:

...and the source is an iPod Touch.

You're going to scare the OP away you know, he's specifically asking about a dock it would seem.

To my mind, this is a 'dock'.

Just add a pair of active or powered speakers with a spdif input.

Easy peasy and not that expensive.

To my mind they are too, however he was referring to 'speaker' docks (NAD Visio / Zeppelin) i.e. an all-in-one setup.

He now appears to have changed his mind....

Because he has been shown better alternatives.......!

Our work here is done.....

Actually, not quite. The OP needs to work out the functionality of the setup. If he has a network to which he can add an AEX, that would be an elegant solution, if not, a dock with either a digital or analogue out and a pair of powered/active speakers.

The one thing to avoid with a Touch is Bluetooth, Apple really want you to use Airplay.